New Delhi: Mental health problems and obesity are two burgeoning health issues in India, and how they are tackled would be “ decisive ” for the health and disease profile of India in the future, the Economic Survey 2023-24 has said. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the economic survey in the Parliament on Monday, a day before the Union Budget. Highlighting that India’s health parameters are critical to reaping the gains of its demographic dividend, the survey suggested a “ transition ” towards a balanced and diverse diet, citing the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) 2019-2021 data to showcase the growing obesity challenge.
Similarly, the survey recognised mental health as a “ principal factor ” in individual and national development, citing the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2015-16 findings to highlight the enormity of the problem. According to the NFHS data cited by the survey, the prevalence of obesity among women rose from 20.6 percent in 2015-16 to 24 percent in 2019-21 while, among men, it increased from 18.
9% to 22.9% in the same period. The incidence of type II diabetes has surged as well, from less than 2% in the 1970s to over 20% in the past 50 years.
Public awareness campaigns are now promoting healthy eating habits, supported by dietary guidelines from the National Institute of Nutrition and the Indian Council of Medical Research, the survey noted. It also said that public health is a state subject and state and local-level gover.